Chainless bicycle.



No. 045,540. Patented'mar. 20, |900.

E. K. BAK-En. f

CHAINLESS BICYCLE.

(Application led Aug. 23, 1B9B.` (No Model) 4 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

No. 645,540. Patented Mar. 2o, |900. E. K. BAKER.

CHAINLE'SS BICYCLE.

(Appumim) med Aug. 23, 159s.) (No Model.) v 2 Sheets-'Sheet 2.

IIHINIUU jl Hol-ncy s.

NrrgED ,STATES PATENT Fris,

mais K. BAKER., or PARIS, TEXAS.

cHAlNLi-:ss BICYCLE;y

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,540, dated March 20, 1900. Appnoauonieaiiugua23,1898. seriarna'saszli. nu moana n To all whom, tmay concern.'

Be it known that 1, ERLE K. BAKER, a citi-1 yzen of the United States, residing at-Paris, in the county of Lamar and'State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Chainless Bicycle, of which the following is-al specification.

My invention relates to improvements-in bearings for chainless bicycles in which the pedal-shaft and a counter-shaft are driven by 'beveled gearing ;A and one object rthat'I have in View `is to provide an improved construe# tion of the crank-hanger andthe bearing therein by which acne-piece drivingLcrank may,with its contained gear, be expeditiously Y.

inserted orremoved.

A further object of' the invention is toprovide an improvedconstruction and arrange-I ment of parts by which the driving-crank is supported firmly in place by ball-bearings, with which are associated adjustable devices designed to compensatefor the wear due to friction on the elements., and` such construction also provides for the secure retention of i l the bearing cup and cone vin the divided side of the boxing which forms the crank-hanger.

With these ends in view the invention'consists in the novel construction and arrangements of partsvhich will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

To enable others to understand the invention, Ivhave illustrated the same vin the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and' in which A Figure 1 is a side elevation,l of a crankhanger and a portion of a 'frame-tube constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an edge elevation of the crank-han ger illustrated by Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the plane indicated by the dotted line 3 3 of' Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side elevation, partly in section, `with the removable member of the boxing detached..:lFig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the removable member of the crank-hanger. Fig. 6 is an elevation illustrating the method of removing the driving-crank.

Like numerals of reference denote like and corresponding parts in each of the several figures of the drawings.

The crank-hanger 1 of' my invention is in the form of a closed boxing having an opening 2 in one side thereof.V The crank-hanger proper is formedv in a'single piece of metal,

with'the seat-post tube-and the inclined reach and itis provided with the nipples 3 'for'union 1 of an ordinary bicycle-frame. VSaid hanger vvis provided also'with a rearward1yextending coupling or nipple 4, adapted'tobe united in the ordinaryway with the tube 5, which forms.

a part ofthe rear-bicyclefork and serves to inclose or house the co unter-shaf t which trans- 4 opposite continuous side of said boxing an n, 4

annular flange 7 is provided. These flanges are in -axial alinement with each other at the vcenter of the hanger or boxing, and one flange is provided with an interior right-hand screwthread, Whiley the otherfiange has an interior left-hand screw-thread; The Idivision of the AOpen side of the. bo'xing or hanger. Yezitends` across or intersects with the segmental flange l 6, and the facefot thevhanger or boxing provides a flange -8,^Which is perforated at intervals to produce the..boltholes '8a. At the terminals of the segemental flange Gare the lugs 9, which are pierced byv openings that lie inl planes at vright .anglesfto the bolt-holes S and the fiange 8. .a I

l10 designates .the removable section of the boxing, which corresponds in area to the opening2 inone side of the hanger, and this sec'- o tion isshaped to fit properly in the opening2 and lie flush with the side and edge of theV 'boxing or hanger. "At its outer segmental edge the sectionlO has a flange 11, provided with thel bolt-holes 12, which coincide with the bolt-holes 8, when the section 10 is properly assembled in relation to' the hanger, and

suitable bolts l2n are passed through the holes 1 2 and S to firmly join the section 10 to the boxing. This removable section is also provided with a segmental flange 13, the ends of which terminate in the lugs 14, and this flange and its lugs are arranged to coincide with the flange 6 and. its lugs 9 o n the proper application of the section 10 to the boxing; The lugs 9 and 14 are joined firmly together by bolts or screws 14a, and the flange 13 has a screwthread which registers with the thread of the flange 6, so as to form a complete internal thread for reception of one of the bearing- IOO . ter of the openings in the sideof the casing. The `driving-crank 16 is a single piece of` center thereof with theupper portion of `the opening for the bushing greater than ahalfcircle, thereby causing the pedal-shaft to be I supported by the solid material 'of If he hanger- Vindependently of the support given to it by.` ,the section 10, which thus lgives lit greater strength. This construction, in` combination with `the making of the other side of the hanger integral throughout, gives a much firmer `supportifor the pedal-shaft than if the line ofseparation extended through thecensteel `bent to form the shaft 17fand thecranks 19 2O,v said cranks extending in opposite directions from thefshaft. Thezshaft nea'rone ofthe cranks is turned down toforma shoulder 21 between the ribs 22,and :on the lshaft is fitted a driving-gear :23, having'an elon `gated hub 24, which is keyed or otherwise rigidly fastened to the shaftatoneside of` Onthe rightehand` end `of the shaft is fitted a cone 26, whichtis adaptedto abut against the driving-gear 23 and Vis housed partly within the 'bearing cup the shoulder 21 thereon.

27. This bearing-cup is exteriorlyithreaded to be.` screwed firmly into the internallythreaded fiange or bushing 7 `of the boxing,`

v and the cone rides upon the bearing-balls 28,

which are confined within a raceway of the bearing-cup 27.

On the shouldered portion 21 of the crankshaft-which lies to the left of thegear 23 `is slipped a cone 29, adapted to iinpinge against onelof the ribs 22. of said shaft, and this cone` 29 rides `freely in ,a cup 30, which is exter-` -nally threaded for the purpose of being screwed into the annular bushing formed by the segmentalflanges 6 and 13 at the divided side of the boxing. tains a series of balls 31, upon `which rides the cone 29 on the left-hand end ofthe crankshaft. This bearing-cup 30 is designed to'be held firmly in place within the divided bush- .ing formed by the coincident flanges 6 13 by tightening the bolts 14, which unite the lugs ofsaid flanges 6 and 13, and the section 10 is thus adapted to be united firmly to the open side of the boxing, while the bolts 14a contribute to the securityof the fastening of said section 10 and serve to hold the cup 30 firmly in place.

The counter-shaft 33 extends through the tube 5, forming a part of the rear fork, and at its forward end this counter-shaft is reduced and shaped to produce a polygonal or square shank 34, which is preferably tapered This bearing-cup 30` conpinion is securely seated on the counter-shaft to rotate at all times therewith, and displace- 'sfmentof said pinion isovercome by a nut 38, Y which is screwedonthe threaded tenon 35 of The end of the shaft carrying the bevel-pinion is equipped` with a cone 39,Whicl1` the shaft.

is slipped on said shaft to abut against the hub of thepiniomand this cone rides on a` series of balls 40, which are loosely confined in a bearing-cup 41, which is supportedin the nipple 4 or'thef'tube 5.

The driving-crank 16 has its ishaft 17 supported by ball-bearings inthe crank-hanger,

and `the counter-shaft 33, is Aalso-supported in a ball-bearing of the erankhanger,thus insuring great freedom of `motion 'to the crank and counter-shaft vand minimizing the friction andwear on the .Workingelementsfof the gearing. The driving-gear23 and thebevelpinion 36 are both housed withinla tight'boxing'which excludesthe entranceof dust and dirt, thus .'affording'maximum protectionto vtheworking parts `against `clogging by dust,

which is liable `to interfere xwithathe proper ing-.crank and its Vcontained gearV 23from the crank-hanger, `the `bearing-*cu p 127 should :be

'operation of sthevgear.l E'Ioremovethe'driv` IOO unscrewedifrom theannular .bushing 7, `and `after 4the 'bolts 14a have `'been removed fthe bearing-cup 30 should beunscrewed fronrthe` dividiug-bushingfformed `bythe :flanges .6 `13.

The .bolts which uniteathe fiangesfS 11iof the rhangerfand its' removablefsection `10 are now removed lto permit `the section f10toibe detached from .the hanger, fthus :exposingfthe `opening 2 jin oneside of the hanger. The

bushing formed vby theflanges'r 131is open at its lower side, so as .tofpermitthecon'ej29 `and cup 3Q to be `readily slipped faroundxthe bend between the shaft 17 and `one of its t cranks, and the cup 37 .has` an opening'therein i of a diameter greater than thatof the shaft or its crank, so that it mayalso be "slipped around the other crank. The removalof the bearing-.cup from the bushings and the de- .tachment of the section 10 from the hanger enable the drivin g-crank to be canted or tilted to the position indicated by Fig. 6, in which one crank of the shaft 17 may `beslipped `or drawn through the annular bushing 7, While the other part of the shaft is raised .into the divided bushing, thus permitting `the bevelgear 23 to pass through the opening 2 in the divided side of the boxing' or hanger. The drivingcrank,with the bevel-gear 23 thereon, may thus be removed from `the `hanger without detaching the gear from the shank, and said crank, with its gear, may be replaced in the crank-hanger by a reverse `adjustment of the parts. This requires the tilting of the driving-crank to a position where one crank IIO , on the hanger, and the cups 27 30 arescrewed into the bushings 6 7, after which theboits *letst are tightened to rmly clamp the cup 30 within the dividedbushing.

The cup 27, which screws into the annular bushing 7, may be held firmly inplaceby a screw or other detent in a manner well un- .derstood by thoseskilled` in the art. The

vline were made straight from one portion'of the circumference of. the hanger to the other the casing would have to be much larger than desired to permit'of the teeth or outer edge of the gear-wheel being removed from the casingwithout coming in contactwith the section of the hanger. To avoid this, I- pre-A fer to form the line of separation substantially V-shaped-'f-that is, to make the por-v tions of-the line upon opposite sides ofthe center diverge upwardly from a point below the center of the opening of the bushing .to the rim of the casing. T-hispermits of the central portion of the side of the hanger extending below the'center thereof tov secure the necessary strength and places the'ends of -the line-of separation so high above the center that the gear-wheel may be removed Without its coming in contact therewith.l To further assistin removing the gear-wheel, it

is preferably dished out upon the side next the removable section, so that as the shaft is being removed from or placed within the hanger the downwardly-projecting portion of the hangeradjacent to the center will project into the dished portion of the gear-wheel,

thereby permitting the axle being drawn upward in that directionas far as possible to let the crooked portion of the axle uponl the opposite side of the gear-wheel pass through the opening in the opposite side of the hanger,

the hanger being provided with a slight depression or recess 37 for the reception of said crooked portion, and thus assistin the ma- The cones 26 and 29` vision or separation adjacent to or slightly above the nipple 4, so that when the section lO is removed thepinion 36 and its bearing can be easily removed. As the greatest strain vwill come upon the side opposite ,the pinion 36, owing to the'crowding action between the gear-wheel and the pinion, I prefer to form the side of the hanger opposite the pinion integralthroughout in order to secure the greatest strength possible.

I have not deemed it necessary in this application to illustrate the means by which the rear end ofthe counter-shaft is journaled in the frame to have the gears thereon mesh withthe gear'on the rear wheel, as any'suitof the rear Vend of said counter-shaft.

Changes may be made in the form of some of the parts,\vhile their essential features are vretained and the spirit of the linvention embodied. 'Hence I do not desire to be limited to the precise form of all theparts asfshown,

reserving the right to vary therefrom.4

I claim islowerportion of one side `is removable, both able means may be adoptedl for the support sides beingprovided with registering openings, and theline of separation between the removable and the integral portions diverging upward'from below the center of the opening upon that side, the'casing upon the other side being provided with a recess ybelow the opening, combined with removable bearingcups in the openings, and a one-piece crank l Ico'v through said cups, the central portionv of g 'I which crank is provided with a gear-wheel `rigidly secured thereto, substantially as'described. e f

2. In a chainless bicycle, a.crank-hangervr having its main body and the sides thereof p made in a single piece and'provided with`anannularthreaded bushing on one side and on v lits opposite side with an open'ing,2, said main body also provided on one side with asegmental langev'which is internally threaded and terminates at its ends 'in lugs, and a removable section tted to the opening, 2, of

thel hanger and formed with a threaded segiv mental angehaving lugs and arranged to ing-cups screwed into the annular and di;

single-piece driving-crank, a gear fast with said crank at the middle thereof Aand housed within said hanger, and bearing-cones iitted' to said driving-crank and contained within the bearing-cups, substantially as described.

3. In a chainless bicycle, a crank-hanger comprising the main body having the two sides integral therewith and provided with vregistering openings in said sides, one of the flanges which form the divided bushing, a.

s 90 V Having thus described the invention,what

vided on lines which diverge upwardly from sides of said hanger having its lower part dil crank supported in said bearing-oups, and a; gear fast with said crank and removable therewith through the open side of the han ger, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aixed `my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ERLE K. BAKER.

below the center of the hanger, a, removable section conforming to the division of said side of the hanger, and means for clamping the removable section firmly `and detaehably to the divided side of the hanger, combined with bearing-cups `fitted in the openings of the integral and divided sides of the hanger, t

Witnesses:

P. A. SPEAIRS, W. N. SUMNER.

one of said bearing-cups being clamped in place by the removable section, stone-piece 

